Travelling Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Antarctica

I just love this site. All those fantastic travel blogs, and advice from the global community. Amazing. I have been reading everything from here for weeks but now need to get myself sorted as I am hoping ot leave about mid September and return mid Dec. I have an Antarctica kayaking trip booked Nove 26th so I have to make sure I get to Ushuia on time. I had been thinking of doing Peru; backpacking overland as much as possible ; Amazon basin, and Cusco and inca area, and then to La Plaz via Lake T ( which now sounds very touristy ? ) etc and then working my way down Chile to Patagonia. But the more I read the more I wonder whether it would be better to just focus on Southern Chile considering the time I have available and also considering the NZ safe travel website re the dangers of La Plaz and other areas including Peru and Chile border. But are they just being over cautious? And yet there seems so much to see in the Southern Chile and that could easily take two months. mmmmmmmm. Any advice anyone ? Please? Sorry it is a very broad question , but a very important one. I know either will be amazing .....Thanks Rosalind. Reply to this

Oh Jo you beautie. I have just been to your site and seen what a great adventurer ( and writer and photographer) you are. onderful. And the quotes are just so true. Here is hoping I get some more answers.
Keep on liviing life to the max . Thanks. Rosalind. Reply to this

If you have not been to SA before then I would say Perú should be top of your list. There is a lot more to it than just Cusco/Machu Picchu too. But you seem to have a good amount of time in hand. The border between Perú and Chile is one of the busiest in SA as a lot of commercial activity goes on between the two. I have no idea what problems they think there might be. I have never heard of any aside from the occasional strike closing the border.
Chile has three distinct areas: the north with the driest desert in the world, Atacama, the Central valleys with the wine and fruit growing areas and the South, which includes both the lake district and Patagonia. There are also different weather patterns. But your chosen months are ideal for working your way down the country. I am guessing from your kayaking trip that you would like time to explore Patagonia on both sides of the Andes. Late November and December are a great time as you will be slightly ahead of the January/February high season. If you are thinking of Torres del Paine you will still have to book lodging ahead as the season gets longer every year and the limited offer as it is a National Park. Aside from that, you shouldn't have a problem with lodging.
Only you can decide about visiting the northern desert. It either appeals to you or does not. You can also get there from La Paz to Arica by bus, a very scenic route.
Although petty crime is everywhere (especially bus stations) and you do have to be aware, I would not say Bolivia is unsafe. It is more plagued with strikes which can close roads and put a spanner in your travel plans. The same can happen in Perú. Road safety is a bit of an issue and you should always take the best service offered and keep an eye on your things. Neither of these is much of an issue in Chile.
Take the time to plan your route in Patagonia as you often have to cross between the two countries on a bus route. For instance, if you are not flying to Punta Arenas, you will need to cross into Argentina at Puerto Montt and then back in again further south. These bus journeys can be long and you might choose to fly certain portions.
I am sure you will have a memorable trip whatever you decide to visit.
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Rosalind, you can change traveler's cheques at money exchange houses in Chile. There is no charge but you get a worse rate than for cash. Having said that, I always travel with a couple of hundred tucked away for emergencies. Otherwise it is ATM machines. In some more remote places there might be one and it is bound to be out of order or out of cash. So you would want pesos with you. But you can pay room and meals with a credit card in most places in Chile. Most ATM machines have a per transaction charge for foreign credit cards. I believe Scotiabank, BICE, BancoEstado, Itau and a couple of others do not. I'll try to find out.
On buses in Chile you are given a luggage check for the baggage you put underneath the bus. Keep anything valuable by you on (not under) the seat. On buses in Perú theft is more of an issue. Your bag is safer if stored at the back of the luggage compartment than near the front. Theft of hand luggage is also more common as people who are not passengers seem to get on and off the bus a lot. You have to be more careful. Again, the more expensive the bus in Perú, the safer it will be and the safer your luggage will be. Reply to this

Fiona - you are an absolute gem. Thank you so much for all this important information and for taking the time. I just find it amzing that you, so far away, can ( and want to ) 'talk' to me so instantly . You cannot imagine what it is like for people of my generation who never in their wildest dreams would have believed this would be possible. It especially restores my faith in humanity when people are so willing to share, the internet is full of so many great things. You should have seen what it was like trying to organise my trip to Africa 40 years ago!. Goodness nmow what anoterh 40 years will be like.
All the best Fiona.
Thanks
Rosalind Reply to this

Hey!

I'd have to agree with coming down through Argentina. There seems to be more to see. You could do the Salt flats tour through Bolivia, finishing in San Pedro de Atacama in northern Chile and then cross into Argentina to Salta. Then Mendoza(wine country)Drink Driving in Mendoza (On Bikes), Bariloche(skiing town), El Bolson(hippy town)Hippie hostel in a hippie town, El Chalten(trekking)Amazing trek up to snowy Las Tres, El Calafate (Perito Moreno glacier), into Chile again to do Torres del Paine and then onto Ushuaia!

My list of favourites are pretty much as above. My favourite countries being Argentina and Peru, highlights being.... Inca trail Inca Trail - Super Hikers!, Colca Canyon Colca Canyon - It's F-in deep!, Salt Falts Salt Flats Day 1, Perito Moreno Glacier Perito Moreno Glacier. Actually I could go on forever!

Dont be worried about safety. Take precautions you would take in normal everyday life and you'll fine. Though, if you live in the countryside and leave your front door open it might be better to up your precautions! People are friendly, interested and want to know about you. Keep valuables with you on bus journeys and if anything is ever stolen, so what. Its all material and replaceable. It is the amazing memories that you'll have that are worth more than anything. There aren't that many "tourists" in South America just mainly "travelers", of all different shapes, sizes, race's, religions, young, old, funny and weird! Some of the best memories will be the people you encounter along the way.

Your trip sounds amazing so i'll be adding you to my list so I can follow you. Hopefully your going to blog it and let all us former South American travelers follow your adventures! God...... I wish I was you! Enjoy! Reply to this

THANKS Sally and Nick - absolutely brilliant. I have just been goggle eyed over your blogs and I am hooked , oh so hooked. Boy you are travellers extraordinaire. I am now going to have to extend my trip!!. I will spend more time in December in Patagonia after the Antarctica trip which will give me more time for the north. This just gets better and better. I won't blog as I go as you all seem to -do so cleverly but will write it up after I get back. You won't beleive it but in the old days when we travelled the only way to keep people up to date was use carbon copies of the diary we wrote and send them by post - and if we were lucky they would get the letter about a month later - and we kept the photo films till we got back so we had no idea of what they were like until later. ( and film was so expensive!). I love the desert , and your pictures have convinced me to spend a lot more time in that area- and in Argentina. Oh it is all so good
Thanks - you know how to live life!. Reply to this

A big thanks to the person who sent the message with the four helpful tips... The 'travel slowly and enjoy the stars' resonated beautifully. Yes condors on my list and the Nasca lines. So much to see. so much to learn. I think I ma going to spend gthe rest of my life travdelling !
Thank you. Reply to this